The use of transdermal patches for the delivery of drugs through the skin is well-known. For example, transdermal patches have been used to deliver drugs in all of the major therapeutic areas including, but not limited to, antibiotic and antiviral agents, analgesics, antidepressants, antihistomines, antinauseants, antispasmodics, diuretics, vasodialators, appetite suppresssants, stimulants, etc.
Although the transdermal delivery of drugs is rapidly becoming the preferred method of delivery of drugs, it is not without problems. For example, some drugs cause undesirable skin reactions, while other drugs do not readily permeate the skin. In the latter case, permeation enhancers are usually added to the drug in order to enhance the transfer of the drug through the skin; however, in some cases some drugs are difficult to use in an effective manner even when combined with a permeation enhancer. This has been found to be the case with the use of an appetite suppressant drug known as phenylpropanolamine HCL, i.e. PPA, as well as similar drugs of the same class.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a medical device for the transdermal delivery of an appetite suppressant.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adhesive/drug combination for use in a transdermal delivery device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a transdermal drug delivery device for an appetite suppressant.